Event Spotlight: The 2015 Will James Roundup

One of the top events on every Montana ranch rodeo competitor’s bucket list is the Will James Roundup, held at the Big Horn County Fairgrounds in Hardin, Montana.  Now in its fifth year, the WJR featured three days of ranch horse, roping, and rodeo events over July 10th through the 12th, 2015, and was a lucrative stop for WSRRA bronc riders on the 8-Seconds Whiskey Ranch Bronc Riding Tour.
The weekend kicked off Friday, July 10th, 2015 with a full day of Working Ranch Horse Competition, showcasing some of the finest horses and horsemen in the area. A Big Loop Muley Roping followed on Friday night.  Saturday saw the WJR become an international event, with teams from the U.S., Italy, Switzerland, and Australia entered in the Three-Man and Two-Man Team Doctoring.
The first WSRRA sanctioned contest of the weekend came on Saturday night, with seventeen bronc riders signed up for the triple-point, $3500-added 8-Seconds Whiskey Ranch Bronc Riding Tour Event.  This event has gained a reputation for rank broncs and wild rides, and 2015 was no exception.  Stock contractor Mike Not Afraid brought some of his saltiest horses, but 11 of the seventeen riders covered their first horse and made the short round.
On Sunday it was WSRRA sanctioned Ranch Rodeo time, with twelve teams vying for the Gist buckles and the highly coveted 2015 WSRRA National Finals slot that is offered to the winners.    The Flat Iron Team (Wade Kornemann, Brett Marshall, Blaine Humble, and Kirk Lohoff) from Lodge Grass, Montana won the day, proving that picking up bronc riders was not their only cowboy skill.  (Kornemann, Marshall, Humble, and Jake Gill were the pick-up men for both the Saturday featured Bronc Riding and the Ranch Rodeo Bronc Riding on Sunday.)
In the WSRRA sanctioned Women’s Steer Stopping, Veronica Lemmon of Montana bested a field of twelve, with Sierra Hill of Idaho coming in second.
By the time the dust had settled on Sunday, one WSRRA ranch bronc rider was sporting new Gist belt hardware along with a fancy pair of armitas made by Sparky Wallace, and had posted a whopping 40 points to his WSRRA point tally.   Colorado’s Justin Quint made a clean sweep of the weekend, winning both the 8-Seconds Ranch Bronc Riding Tour Stop Event on Saturday night, and the WJR Ranch Rodeo Bronc Riding on Sunday.
The official photographer for the event, Mary Williams Hyde, is well known for her work documenting the buckaroo culture of the Great Basin.   Hardin, Montana is a long way from the sagebrush sea, but Mary counts the Will James Roundup as one of her favorite events, and her involvement with the event has created some memorable photographs.  She says: “I love the Will James Roundup for two reasons. One, the ranch broncs are wild like I remember seeing as a kid at the Beatty, Oregon rodeo. Congratulations to Mike Not Afraid and Kelly Passes on raising extraordinary bucking horses out on the Crow Indian Reservation. Two, the event showcases outstanding buckaroo/vaquero style horsemanship and stockmanship that is not ordinarily seen outside of the Great Basin.  I know that, though it takes two days to get there, and two days to get back, that I will be seeing some of the top hands in the West!”
Named for noted cowboy author and artist Will James, the Roundup helps to raise funds for maintenance and repair of the Will James Cabins and Studio, located at the Big Horn County Museum in Hardin.  The WSRRA would like to congratulate the Will James Roundup Committee (Sam, Shirley, Seth, Stacy, Skeeter, and Sara Redding, Seanna Torske, and Rob and Josette Barthule) for another successful year, and thank them for the countless hours that they dedicate to planning and producing this exceptional event.